Telescopes 101 -- A BEGINNER'S GUIDE

Buying a telescope is easy! Especially when you have help. If you want to learn a little about telescopes and space, this "Telescopes 101" guide should get your mind grounded before you start exploring the stars. So let's learn. . . .
Telescopes make space objects look brighter
That's basically it, and it's the most important thing about telescopes. Telescopes gather light from space,and blast it into your eyes so you can get a fabulous, astonishing look at star clusters, dual-star systems, distant galaxies, and details of the Moon or Saturn's rings in ways you can never see with the naked eye because the objects are too small and way to dark.
Telescopes make space objects look bigger too
Yes, telescopes magnify objects, that's true. But magnification is really not that important. Just a little bit of magnification is enough to see all kinds of great space stuff. But boosting light gathering power is where it's at in buying a telescope The more light you can suck down from the sky, the more you'll see. Don't worry about magnification, just all telescopes have enough of that -- go for the light gathering power.
Bigger is better
At least in telescopes, that's true. The bigger the main opening of the tube, then the more light the telescope can collect. More light means you see more. The size of the telescope's main opening is called the 'aperture" and it is typically measured in inches or millimeters. In just about all cases, the larger the aperture, or opening, the better the space viewing will be. Our biggest telescope has an 8" opening and is great for backyard observing.
Mirrors vs Glass
How does it all work? Well, telescopes gather straight beams of light and focus them on a single point. This magnifies what you're looking at and makes it seem larger and brighter. Telescopes either use a round, bowl shaped mirror to focus the light, or a glass lens to do the job, or a combination of both. Depending on what you're looking for, you might consider one or the other.